Did you know that the first detective mystery story was actually written by Edgar Allan Poe, and that it was inspired by true events? In 1841 there was a murder in New York City that captured the fascination of the public and Poe alike. This is the story of Mary Rogers.

Victorian’s loved telling ghost stories at Christmas and I’m here to tell you one of their favorite tales. This is a story that was set in the 17th century and was passed along verbally, but really gained popularity in the 1830s when a song was written about the tale. You may have heard this tale told a little differently but I’m going to relay it to you as I first heard it, in honor of upholding the tradition of storytelling. This is the legend of Mistletoe Bough.

Telling scary stories is a Victorian Christmas tradition. And tonight I have what I’d consider more of a Victorian horror story for you. It comes to us from the cold, snowy forests of North America. This is the story of Swift Runner and the wendigo.

Seeing as December is just around the corner, I am here to present to you tonight, a Christmas Eve murder. This is the story of Harriet Buswell.

ave you ever heard someone say: if you believe that, I have a bridge in brooklyn to sell you? It’s an expression used to imply someone is very gullible and easy to trick. Because we all know you can’t, in fact, buy the Brooklyn Bridge, right? …Right…? Well, tonight’s story is about the man who “sold” the Brooklyn Bridge over and over for years. True story. This is the story of George C. Parker.

She was a black widow. And, she was an angel of death. But why? Did she think she was showing mercy to her victims? Was she herself a victim of society’s failures and the lack of support? Or was she just a cold and callous murderer? This is the story of the Derby Poisoner, Lydia Sherman.

We are traveling north along the Appalachian mountain range to the Allegheny mountains in Pennsylvania where another supernatural incident played a part in solving a missing person case. This is the story of the Lost Children of the Alleghenies.

It’s another case where ghosts and murder collide. This is the case of the Hammersmith ghost.

Whether or not you believe in ghosts, let me tell you… the Victorians sure did. Tonight’s story is famously known as the only case in which testimony from a ghost helped convict a murderer. This is the story of the Greenbrier ghost.

As is often the case with true crime, the facts of a case can turn out stranger than fiction. But in tonight’s story, much of what came to be accepted as fact, did wind up to actually be fiction. Luckily, I am here for you, to separate the fact from the fiction of a very notorious case. This is the true story of HH Holmes.

Tonight’s story is a love triangle that ends in murder! This is the story of Mary Pearcey.

Jack the Ripper is arguably the most notorious serial killer of all time, but for as famous as this case is, there are still a few things that surprised me about it. So we’re going to get right to it, this is the story of Jack the Ripper.

There’s many reasons why true crime is fascinating but I think at some point every true crime fan has run across a story that’s made them stop and think, “I don’t know if I can listen to this anymore…” But every once in awhile something redeeming comes out one of these stories - there’s a foundation set up or a law that’s enacted. That is one of the things I personally really like about true crime. This is the story of the Bradford Sweet poisoning.

When they make up a rhyme that goes, “Lizzie Borden took an axe, And gave her mother forty whacks, When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one.” Well, someone ought to be caught red handed for that crime, right? But no one ever was. This is the case of Lizzie Borden.

While researching stories for this podcast, I wanted to make sure I was bringing a variety of topics to the table, and that is when I came across the story of a Victorian doomsday sex cult. Please settle in for the story of the Agapemonites.

One of my favorite things about the Victorian era is that you could just up and decide to change your name, make up a new story for yourself, and you could be who ever you wanted. This is the story of Cassie Chadwick.

This is a special bonus episode to celebrate Pride Month! As a show that focuses exclusively on the Victorian era and crime, we cannot gloss over the fact that many facets of LGBTQ+ lifestyles were, in fact, considered criminal during the time period.

The subject of tonight’s story is sometimes referred to as “the female Sweeny Todd.” This is the story of Kate Webster.

In the 19th century, germ theory had started to take root. Government officials were starting to figure out why disease spread, but what to do about it was still not fully baked. That is how in 1906, Mary Mallon was forced to quarantine as a well woman for cumulative 26 years. This is the story of Typhoid Mary.

I am excited to share tonight’s story with you because while well known locally where I live, it is not widely known. Also, it combines two of my favorite things to talk about which are: true crime and hauntings. And if ever a murder victim had reason to haunt somewhere, this is it. This is the story of Tillie Smith.